Indian-origin surgeon Jayant Patel, accused of manslaughter of several patients in Australia, walked free on Thursday after a court handed down a two-year suspended prison sentence to him for lying to get a job in a public hospital, ending a long-running legal saga.
Brisbane District Court judge Terry Martin sentenced 63-year-old Patel to two years of imprisonment to be wholly suspended.
Patel, now a US citizen, pleaded guilty last Friday to two counts related to him dishonestly gaining registration and two counts related to dishonestly gaining employment.
In the court, Martin told Patel "you calculatedly deceived your way into that position" at Bundaberg hospital.
He said Patel's unlawful conduct put patients at risk, according to media reports.
"I see no indication of, and hear no expression of, your genuine remorse for your offending," the judge said.
The court was informed that Patel has already spent 788 days in custody, plus 131 days during the extradition process.
Martin further said he took into account the two-and-a-half years Patel has already spent in jail for the charges overturned by the high court.
The judge also noted that the ruling brought to an end a lengthy and tragic period in the state's medical history.
The seven year-long trial of Patel has cost the country a whopping 3.5 million dollars.
Outside the court, Patel thanked his supporters and his legal team, saying he was looking forward to returning to his family and work in the US.
"This has been a long and very difficult journey," he said.
"I'm pleased that it's over and I'll be going back to my life and my work. And in this season of giving thanks I would like to thank to my legal team...for the exceptional work they've done," Patel was quoted as saying by the Brisbane Times.
"I would like to thank the hundreds of well-wishers that I don't even know, who stopped me in the street, gave me words of encouragement and wished me well. Finally I would like to thank all my friends and family for their selfless and unconditional love and support," he said.
Last week, Queensland's Director of Public Prosecutions dropped all criminal medical negligence charges against him, ending his long-running legal woes.
